Page 107 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

items bearing its logo, it will be able to reap the benefits of the use of props in television
series featuring the police force. 75 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (the Mounties)
98 signed an agreement in 1995 with Disney to license Mounty merchandise throughout the
world. The deal was criticised in Canada for its association with a company strongly linked
to cultural imperialism but was defended on the grounds that it would allow greater
control over the brand from a company with so much experience of such activities. 76
• Art The licensing of art has become a growth business in recent years. Art galleries have
for many years sold reproductions of works of art, but the range being sold now extends
to an array of items like fridge magnets, ties, coasters and mouse mats adorned with
galleries’ artistic images.
• Dance clubs Dance clubs like Ministry of Sound and Cream increasingly use their logos
as the basis for merchandise. On a telelvision programme, a representative of the latter
group claimed that his club ‘doesn’t make us that much money – it’s all of the other
products we do’. 77 He was referring to such items as records and t-shirts.
• The Vatican It has been reported that the Vatican is planning a chain of shops selling licensed
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items and gifts based on exhibits in its museum. Vatican merchandise has been for sale for
some time, but the plans imply increasing the scope of items on offer considerably.

Reflections of Merchandising

The potential that is often seen in characters from films, television series and
books is particularly apparent in a trend that has been noticeable in recent years.
This is the way in which older cartoon and other characters are resuscitated and
bought and sold like commodities. Sometimes, this trade in such characters is
done with a view to update what are regarded as franchises with potential that
have fallen out of favour. In recent years, British characters like Sooty, Pingu the
Penguin, Captain Pugwash, and Noddy have been traded between companies
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keen on developing their merchandise potential. Many of Enid Blyton’s charac-
ters are similarly being reinvented, their copyright having been bought by a
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British company keen to enhance their merchandise potential. In the United States,
the revival of the Marvel comic heroes can be seen as part of the same process of
raising the profile of previously popular characters with potential. 81 This trade in
copyright logos and images gives a sense of their importance if the potential value
of their franchise is fully realized.
Merchandising strategies have to be careful not to engage in over-exploitation.
Movie companies and toy firms are often accused of exploiting children and by
implication their parents by creating too much merchandise or of using strategies
that are aimed at manipulating children. It was reported, for example, that
J.K. Rowling was being very careful about the amount and type of merchandise
that would be made available at the time of the first Harry Potter film. 82 It was
claimed that she was concerned that children and their parents should not be